Welcome!
• Home • FAQs
• Site Map
Weather
• Contacts
Free Service Appreciation
Find out about advertising with us!

Pony Lane Farm’s Bella Blue Earns WEF IX Championship

March 17, 2010

Wellington, FL –-– Pony Lane Farm continues to excel during the 2010 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), competing for the ninth consecutive week in Wellington, FL. Based out of Bluffdale, UT, and Wellington, FL, Pony Lane Farm is home to sisters Kelsey and Madeline Thatcher, who both train with Maggie Jayne of Our Day Farm in Elgin, IL. Competing this week, Kelsey Thatcher rode Pony Lane Farm’s Bella Blue to the championship tricolor in the Small Junior Hunter 16-17 division and piloted Esquilino Bay to a second place finish in the $10,000 SJHOF High Junior Jumper Classic.

Kesley Thatcher has had an excellent circuit at WEF this year and continued her winter with more victories this week, despite riding with a broken wrist. Thatcher rode her gray mare Bella Blue to the Small Junior Hunter 16-17 championship on Saturday, placing first, first and fourth over fences and second under saddle. The pair’s winning scores over fences were 84 and 90, with the 90 coming in the challenging handy course. All classes were cancelled on Friday because of torrential rains, so the horses and riders had to jump three times on Saturday, but Bella Blue handled herself beautifully.

“She was great; she was definitely tired after jumping three times in a row, but she was perfect,” Thatcher stated. “It was exciting to score a 90 with her, especially over the handy course because she is still quite green. I thought it was a great course; they always make the courses very interesting and tricky here and she handled it great. They actually had a bounce with hay bales, which I thought was cool. I think she really likes the more interesting, challenging courses. She is so much fun to ride and she jumped great.”

Continuing her excellent run in the jumpers, Thatcher rode her gelding Esquilino Bay to a ninth place finish in Thursday night’s $25,000 G&C Farm Young Riders Grand Prix and then went on to a second place finish in Sunday’s $10,000 SJHOF High Junior Jumper Classic. She also had success with her stallion Milous De Fontaine, finishing in third place in the $10,000 Medium Junior Jumper Classic.

Renowned designer Leopoldo Palacios set Thursday night’s challenging course for the young riders. Thatcher showed her mares Caretina III and Carlotta, but finished in the top with Esquilino Bay after accumulating four faults in the first round.

“I broke my wrist on Wednesday, so I just got my cast put on and jumped a couple at home and I was like okay, ‘I’m ready to show!’ They were all really good for the night class, especially since I was injured,” Thatcher noted. “Alex [Jayne] wanted me to go fast with Esquilino, especially if I did have a rail because then I would still be in the money. I am usually not that fast in the first round, but Alex told me to go, and it definitely paid off because we did have a causal four faults.”

“Esquilino is super forgiving and he is a little feisty, but he has the best heart,” she said. “You can ask anything of him and he will always go for it and try his heart out, so I love him.”

Other Pony Lane Farm success came from hunter horses Gianni and Namesake, as well as brand new purchase Red Sky. Gianni and Maggie Jayne place third over fences and second under saddle in the Regular Working Hunters. Junior rider Laura Pfeiffer rode Pony Lane Farm’s Namesake to a first place ribbon in the Small Junior Hunter 16-17 Under Saddle. Pfeiffer also rode Pony Lane Farm’s brand new purchase Red Sky to first, third and fifth place ribbons in the Large Junior Hunter 16-17.

Showing under the name Red Sky at Night with Kelley Farmer at the beginning of circuit, Pony Lane Farm just bought Red Sky for Thatcher to show in the Junior Hunters. Pfeiffer showed him this week since Thatcher already had two horses in the division, but she plans to compete with him the rest of the year. “We just bought Red Sky, so I have only ridden him twice, but I am really looking forward to showing him. He is big, lazy and he is really sweet,” she said.

Kelsey and Madeline will not be showing during WEF X, so they will enjoy a week off and come back fresh and ready to go for the final two weeks of competition. They will then continue to compete through the completion of the WEF circuit on April 4. For more information, please visit www.ponylanefarm.com.

To March 2010 News Articles Index | To Maritimes Equine ...On-Line Home